


Drop Everything Now (Meet Me in the Pouring Rain)

by phloridas



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2009 Phan, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Phandom Reverse Bang, Phandom Reverse Bang 2017, clearly the answer is never, when will claire stop using taylor swift lyrics as fic titles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 05:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12810510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phloridas/pseuds/phloridas
Summary: Phil never planned for a rainstorm to intrude on Dan's second ever visit to Manchester--but maybe that's exactly what they need to push them closer than ever.Written for the Phandom Reverse Bang 2017!





	Drop Everything Now (Meet Me in the Pouring Rain)

**Author's Note:**

> Literally when I saw the art for this fic, I just knew I had to write it--cuddly 2009!phan on a rainy day? Sign me the heck up!! Huge thanks to Jess @furryhowell for the simple yet wonderful idea and Courtney @danceswithsweaters for her lovely support when I got stuck and for giving this fic the finishing polish it needed--and both for putting up with my busy procrastinating ass! You can find Jess' fantastic art [here](http://furryhowell.tumblr.com/post/167823320362/art-for-phandom-reverse-bang-some-soft-2009phan) and I really hope that you love it as much as I do because it’s the softest damn thing I’ve ever seen and I can’t not scream about it. I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!

There was a pleasant sort of familiarity about rain, especially here in Manchester.

The light tapping against the window pane, along with the darkening sky and the warm, sweet liquid trickling down his throat all combined to give Phil an extra shot of joy deep in his veins. Nothing filled his heart more than the Dan at his side, however, twisting a loose green thread of what had already become “their” Starbucks sofa.

“I know it’s England, and I know we should be used to all this, but this rain is really nice, don’t you think?” Phil darted his eyes around the tiny shop. Then, finding the only other customer minding her own business, he scooted ever closer so that just his side touched Dan’s.

Dan glanced over, a whisper of a laugh on his face. “You’re not utterly sick of it yet?”

“Not when I have you here with me.”

“Phil, you utter sap. I’m leaving this Starbucks and you’re not allowed to come with me.” As Dan turned to snatch his grande caramel macchiato, though, Phil caught a splash of colour rising near his right jawline.

“Daaannnn! Don’t leave me!” Phil made grabby hands, his fingers just grazing the flannel of Dan’s sleeve before Dan crawled over to the other end of the couch. “Have fun finding a train back to Wokingham, by the way.”

“Why would I need to go back there? I can get to your house just fine--and don’t think I won’t lock you out, because you know I will!”

Phil just bowed his head, fringe brushing against Dan’s shoulder as the droplets picked up in front of them, a steady drip much like the affection dripping from his heart and flowing through his body.

Peace. That’s what Dan was. Peace mixed with something more, the jerk of a train setting into motion before beginning the easy glide along the tracks.

Dan surprised him. Everything about him was unexpected, but there was something Phil adored about that. Layers upon layers stood before him like a pile of stickers in a sticker book, ready for Phil to peel back and reveal a bit more of the person hiding underneath. He’s complicated, yes, but isn’t everyone?

If Phil could dive into Dan’s brain, into Dan’s entire being, he would. He’d wrap himself in all of Dan’s insecurities and self-doubt, wrap them so tight that they’d never touch Dan again. Phil could take it...couldn’t he?

“Hey,” he said to Dan after a while, tone barely above a whisper, “ready to head out of here? If we run, we can probably catch the 2:00 bus.” The middle-aged woman had left now, leaving them the only two customers in the shop. Phil took a secret joy in this, snuggling closer to Dan than he ever would out in public and adoring the close-up view of Dan’s chocolatey eyes. His fingers sparked and popped like fireworks where they danced along Dan’s right hand, every nerve suddenly alive. The splashes hitting the Manchester pavement seemed far more bearable with this boy by his side.

Everything was more bearable, lovely even, with Dan.

“You ready?” Dan asked once they got to the door. Neither of them had hoods, or even an umbrella for that matter. Phil knew they’d be soaked within a minute of stepping into those blustery gales.

He eased the door open, and sure enough, buckets of rain seeped into his hair and jeans, soaking up more than his bath towels ever could. Phil pushed his legs forward as fast as he could without jogging, enjoying the giggle tumbling deliciously from his lips.

He wanted to grab Dan’s hand but even the rain couldn’t save him from the looks sure to be tossed their way by the countless umbrella people still clogging the city pavements despite the weather. So Phil’s hands remained swinging at his sides, his rapidly pumping blood keeping them a whisper away from freezing.

A shadow of panic behind Dan’s eyes nearly made Phil stop in his tracks, only just avoiding collision with a grumpy, black umbrella-wielding businessman. “Dan? Hey, is everything alright?”

“It’s fine, it’s--it’s nothing. It’s just, this stupid rain, it’s gonna make my hair all curly and disgusting and I actually got it sort of decent this morning and just…” A burst of wind carried off his last words, frigid air stinging Phil’s face but not slashing his chest nearly as deep as Dan’s defeated tone.

“Dan.” Phil made sure he had Dan’s full attention, his voice harder than the streets before them. “Hey, hey, it’s fine. We’re just gonna be at my house, we don’t have to go anywhere in this crappy weather. And besides,” he smiled, “I _love_ your curly hair. Maybe even more than when it’s straight.”

“You can’t mean that,” Dan muttered, barely audible behind the wind. Phil noticed his pace pick up anyway, his lips pursed but with a softness pushing against the corners of his eyes.

Phil matched his stride, choosing to ignore the shiver cutting into the very marrow of his bones. They’d be home soon. The river currently pooling in his shoes could dry out by the radiator. The promise of warm blankets, and Dan’s even warmer arms wrapped around him provided a momentary bliss that almost drew a barrier between Phil and the chilling rain. Almost.

Splashing up to the bus stop, a desperate desire gripped Phil the moment he glimpsed Dan’s face, shining with rain, black and white flannel clinging to the white graphic tee underneath that hugged his every curve in a manner that felt completely unfair to Phil. The moment his gaze landed on the limp yet still gorgeous brunette fringe plastered to Dan’s forehead, Phil wanted nothing more than to grab Dan by the hands and twirl him around, feet splashing against the puddle-filled pavement and wet foreheads touching in their own rain dance.

It really was ridiculous just how good Dan could look in this awful weather. The societal block that stopped him from expressing his true affection, however, was even more ridiculous. Well, at least they’d have Phil’s house to themselves in an hour.

The bus ride was long as always, and moderately packed, but they reached Phil’s front door not a moment too soon. Dripping like rats in the entryway and tugging at the clothes now stuck to every bit of skin, Phil made a beeline for the bathroom closet. He snatched up as many towels as he could carry, tucking two among Dan’s shoulders and beginning a furious wipe-down of himself with another.

Dan ignored the towels, however, instead holding his bag at a distance with the tips of his fingers as if it harboured a deadly disease. A snap of buttons rang out in the dim, desolate hallway.

“Shit. Oh shit shit shit, no god please no.”

“Dan? Is everything alright?” Phil dropped his towel, teeth tugging at his bottom lip.

The curtains parted from Dan’s face, if only for a moment. “Oh, thank god. Yeah, my laptop’s fine but, um, my clothes are kinda ruined. And I don’t have anything here.”

Was it acceptable to smack Dan right now? “Dan. Babe. Did you honestly think I was gonna make you stay in those wet things? Go ahead and borrow anything of mine.” _It’ll look far better on you than it ever did on me, anyway._

“R--really?” There was a catch in Dan’s voice that latched a hook into Phil’s heart, a fleeting glimpse of brown eyes nearly jerking it out of his chest before Dan drifted his gaze back down to the brown carpet.

“Absolutely. What’s mine is yours.” In a moment of exhilaration, Phil envisioned a future clearer than the sky had been last night. Him and Dan, sharing a home together, possessions as thoroughly intertwined as their lives, just as happy as they were now if not _more_.

_One day, Phil. One day._

A change of clothes and a fair few giggles later, Dan and Phil had nestled beneath the Lesters’ cosiest blankets in the lounge, Dan’s chest forming the perfect cushion for Phil’s head and his ice cube toes resting against Phil’s legs as a nudge of fingers danced through his just-dyed black fringe. A plinking of rain against the window and deep, steady sighs were the only sounds that filled the spacious lounge. Soon enough, Phil’s heartbeat had grown to match the stable rhythm knocking against his right ear.

Things were good. So, _so_ good.

And then Phil had to ruin it all by opening his big-ass mouth.

“Dan? I know you said you’ve been doing a lot better these last few days, but is everything _really_ alright? Do you think you’re ready to talk about it yet? It’s completely fine if not, I understand how hard it can be--”

Phil’s head suddenly chilled as Dan shifted his fingers to twist the green fleece of Phil’s lended sleeve around and around. It took a few moments for him to open his mouth, Phil gazing up at his slight frown the whole time.

Even when troubled, Dan was still beautiful. Phil didn’t deserve this.

Dan sighed. It sounded like he had just ejected the weight of the entire world from his lungs. “It’s alright. I just...it feels kind of ridiculous for your father to get on your ass for ‘ignoring your responsibilities to go on the internet’ when I barely ever see him off Facebook. I’m not wasting my life by coming here most weekends now, am I?”

A dagger shot through Phil’s chest, the voice crack taking his breath away. Tears pricked behind his eyes but Phil refused to let them fall. “ _No._ Dan, are you kidding me? You’re the happiest I’ve ever seen you during these visits. Allowing yourself happiness is _never_ wasting your life, no matter what anyone says. Every day you’re not here feels like _my_ life is being wasted, actually.”

“Mmmmm, Phiiilllll.”

Phil sat up and pulled Dan closer into him. Maybe the strength of his squeeze could keep these stormy thoughts from obscuring the clever, lovely, hilarious boy he loved so much. Maybe his touch could soften Dan’s rigid muscles.

Not for the first time did Phil wish he could wipe away this pain like a whiteboard full of complicated equations.

“Thank you,” Dan said. He was quiet for a while. Phil could see the gears turning in his head, could almost hear him searching for the right words to explain his feelings. “This may be a bit much, but...have you ever felt...worthless, Phil? Like nothing you do will ever be enough for people, least of all yourself, like every step you take is a step out of line? Like you shouldn’t even talk to anyone because you’re just going to bum them out and you’ll never be able to explain this...ghost that you’ve become? Like there’s some sort of weight that just won’t leave, even sometimes when we’re Skyping?” Dan sighed again, this time like a balloon leaking long and slow. “I’m sorry, this is probably too much. I just...I kinda have to tell _someone_ , you know?”

“Dan. Dan, Dan, Dan. Shhhh, come here.” Phil shifted to bring Dan ever closer, letting Dan’s chin rest on his shoulder and his cheek press into Phil’s collarbone in the sweetest way. It shattered his heart to know Dan felt this way, but what shattered it even more was the knowledge that he couldn’t do a thing about it.

They stayed like this for a while. Kisses pressed in fluffy brown hair. Fingers gathering soft fabric that really did look a thousand times better on Dan than it ever did on Phil. Heart leaking but still full thanks to the presence of the soft boy curled into him, their shared body heat providing Phil with more warmth than the radiator could ever give him.

It took a long time for Phil to pull away, nudging Dan’s chin off his shoulder with a single pointer finger then taking Dan’s hands in his own as blue eyes settled on murky brown. He wanted to be sure Dan absorbed every word, just like how their clothes had absorbed all that rain earlier.

“Dan. If I’m being completely honest, I _do_ know most of those feelings. Not that well, but I know how shit they can be. Beyond shit. God, I...I wish there was a word strong enough. I know it’s not something that you can shake too easily, if at all some days. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to banish these monsters completely but I will always, always be here for you when they hit, alright? Remember,” he sent a gentle squeeze through Dan’s hands, “forever’s a damn long time.”

Tears pooled in Dan’s eyes, stopping Phil’s heart for a second until he saw the wavering smile poking out underneath. “I...god, I’m such a sap but thank you, Phil. You’ve done more in these last five months than anyone’s done in eighteen years. God, why can’t I just live _here?_ This is a trillion times better than Wokingham has ever been. Will ever be, probably.”

Phil pressed his lips against Dan’s, catching his tears in trembling fingers. If only he could kiss away every whisper of pain, snatch each one of Dan’s storms for his own. Phil could take it. Couldn’t he?

He may not have the power to completely chase Dan’s clouds away, but he could certainly do his best.

“Hey,” he said once he finally pulled back, thumbs running over Dan’s baby-soft cheeks, “I think I know how to make it a million and _one_ times better. Have you ever made a blanket fort, Dan?”

“A blanket fort?” A hollow laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. “I don’t think so, truth be told.”

“Neither have I. That’s why we’re making one right now. I’ll get the microwave popcorn. Come on!” Phil was already off the sofa, pulling Dan into the kitchen. He wasn’t about to let that boy out of his sight. Not when they only had two days together.

“You really think a _blanket fort_ is going to pull me out of this spiral? I mean sure, knock yourself out, Phil,” Dan called, just a couple steps behind him.

“A blanket fort with the _best_ snacks. And lots of kissing. All the cuddles you could ever need. That sounds pretty good to me, don’t you think?”

“Do those snacks include Haribo?”

Phil banged open mahogany cabinets until he pulled out a large, wrinkled green bag, presenting it before Dan at the round wooden table with an exaggerated bow. “Now they do.”

Dan bit his lip, but Phil could see the smile twitching up his cheeks. It took everything in Phil’s power not to reach out and poke the dimples making their home inside Dan’s round cheeks.

A new warmth pooled in Phil’s stomach, completely unrelated to the frequent pops now sounding from the microwave. A silence settled then, easing them into this strange space only they occupied, a silence that tiptoed into his heart and slowed Phil’s movements as he came to rest his hand on Dan’s. A soft smile lit through the dreary glow of the window.

Dan leaned his fluffy head on Phil’s shoulder and for a moment, things were actually... _perfect_. Phil had everything he could ever need and more. If only he could find the words to tell Dan how he felt. But maybe Phil didn’t need words.

Dan had told him countless times how much his listening ear and understanding murmurs had helped throughout their already countless Skype calls. Not to mention the crappy pictures Phil would draw and hold up to the camera, or send through messenger. Wasn’t the buttery aroma rapidly filling the kitchen more than enough to express his feelings?

It took Phil a few moments to even notice the microwave was dinging and the popping had slowed to a near stop. It took another minute to extricate himself from Dan.

Phil quite enjoyed the rhythmic tinkling of the salty snack into the Lesters’ big blue bowl, a gift from Phil’s maternal grandmother. He did not enjoy, however, the large hand that snaked up and snatched several pieces before the bag had even emptied.

(Alright, maybe he did. A little. But who could blame him?)

“You’re gonna burn your tongue off,” Phil protested through Dan’s smug grin.

“Worth it,” Dan mumbled back through his mouthful of soggy popcorn. Phil wasn’t sure whether he should slap that smile away with his hands or with his lips.

Once all the snacks were rounded up and carried out (complete with pack mule laments from a certain someone), a shiver chased down Phil’s spine as he pushed the glass coffee table away from the couch and Dan gathered the fluffiest blankets from the bookshelf as if he were a Lester already. (He certainly was, in Phil’s mind, at least.) Bubbles snapped and popped inside his chest and soon the force was so much that Phil couldn’t help expelling a giggle loud and musical enough to fill the whole room. Dan soon joined in, his cherubic laughs ringing out like a million tiny angels.

It was a far cry from just twenty minutes ago. Phil’s pride was undeniable.

Just as he was smoothing the corners of the plush sage green blanket, a giant _whomp!_ landed on Phil’s back, almost knocking him to the ground. Whipping around, he was instantly greeted with a pair of shining brown eyes and the tiniest hint of tongue poking from full pink lips.

“ _Daaaaannnn!”_ Phil threw his head back to the smooth cream ceiling and shook it so hard that drops of rain still nestled inside came flying out, forming forming dark spots on the old light brown carpeting.

Well. Two could play at this game.

Soon the spacious lounge was filled with shrieking laughter and soft smacks as Phil reacquainted himself with his inner seven-year-old, this time with an added spark underneath. Dan’s face, flushed with exhilaration and beads of sweat only visible if you came up really close, clicked something into place high in Phil’s chest.

“Don’t you _dare,_  Lest-- _oh!_ ”

A pop, and then a shower of fluffy white. Feathers tickling Phil’s eyes and mouth, making him cough and shake his head. “ _Dan!_  Oh my god!” He was laughing, though, waves of hysteria breaking so hard and fast that he had to grab onto Dan’s shoulder for support.

“Phil, shit, I’m so...I’m so sorry, oh man, I don’t even know, I don’t know how--”

“ _D_ _an_.” Phil took hold of both green hoodie-covered shoulders, planting a long kiss on Dan’s forehead. “It’s fine, it’s totally fine. Pillows can be replaced, and honestly?” He dropped his tone to a whisper and twisted so that his lips just tickled Dan’s ear. “I always hated that one anyway.”

“Yeah, but all the mess…” Horror flashed through Dan’s eyes, his breath catching, and Phil knew at once he was watching his own parents in his mind’s eye.

“Dan, Dan, Dan. Hey, it’s fine. That’s what vacuum cleaners are for.” Phil swung his left side against Dan’s right like a pendulum until the light returned to his eyes and the dimples popped again inside his cheeks.

Household chores felt like childhood games with Dan around. Granted, Phil had never minded vacuuming before but now he positively loved it--especially when he set the hose on Dan’s face and watched his hair blow into a quiff. Phil had to get that fringe off his face somehow. Maybe throw on an old pair of his glasses and a turtleneck…

Rain continued to splatter against the window, but by this point it was more of a steady permanence, just like Dan’s presence at his side. Away from the worst of it, everything felt a thousand times safer and cosier, even the familiar blue sofa. If only they had a fireplace Phil could light.

Fireside kisses...toasting marshmallows...blanket cuddles with hot chocolate and laptops, needing nothing more than each other…

Just the idea made his heart ache.

They’d have a fireplace one day. Phil would make it happen, he resolved, with a quick glance at a snacking Dan. He _would_.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Phil bumped his side against Dan’s again, careful not to bump into the coffee table and grabbing some popcorn of his own. The vacuuming had taken all of ten minutes, just as he had expected.

“You’re _sure_ your parents won’t be upset?”

Phil sent a squeeze through Dan’s arms, shaking his head. “No, I promise. They know it’s just a pillow. Come to think, they probably won’t even notice it at first. It’s fine, alright?”

A moan trickled from Dan’s lips, both heartbreaking and infuriating all at once. “ _Phiiiilllll_. Your parents are, like, actually the best. Can they just...adopt me or something?”

Well. Phil had something else entirely on his mind. “Um. I don’t think adoption is the right idea, Dan. Not with all of...this.” He waved a hand at the tiny space between them, eyes flicking to the sandy carpet as the far too familiar flames of awkwardness licked at his face.

“I...alright, yeah.” A crimson patch glowed near Dan’s right jaw. “In-laws would really be more like it.”

Phil almost stumbled back into the sofa. Of course, that’s exactly what he was thinking, but...for Dan to just _say it?_ And imply that he believed it, wished for it just as much as Phil? Just the idea was enough to send Phil’s heart soaring all the way to the stars above.

Sure, maybe his parents only knew the bare minimum about Dan (he’s someone Phil had been talking to a lot online since the summer and that he’s met him a few times), but he knew without a doubt that they’d love him. They’d better, once they saw what he did to Phil.

Weddings may be a far way off but if Phil was sure of anything, he knew he wanted more Dan in his life. As much Dan as possible, really. That’s why this weekend was already so wonderful, despite the rain. Hell, even with the rain. It forced them inside (not that they’d rather be anywhere else), forced Phil to devise this crazy idea in a desperate moment. Maybe this weekend was hardly following his loose plans, but wasn’t that the fun of it anyhow? Just hanging out with Dan, online or in person, had already become Phil’s favourite thing.

Heck, he could go to a horse farm with Dan and still have a great time. Probably.

Their giggles and ya-yas mostly petered out, the two soon resumed their blanket draping and pillow placing. Phil stood back and nodded once his crinkles had been smoothed out, but Dan continued to putter around, shifting pillows by mere centimetres and pulling his blankets taut over and over again. His constant fluttering started a flutter of Phil’s own in his stomach until he finally strode over and grabbed Dan’s wrists in a tight hold, fingers intertwining in an already familiar motion. The clouds parted slightly behind Dan’s eyes.

“Dan. Babe, it’s fine. It’s just a little fort, five-year-olds do this all the time. It doesn’t have to be perfect, you know?” Phil tilted his head but kept his firm eye contact.

Phil noticed Dan’s foot twitch from the corner of his eye, but he only tightened his grip. “Yeah, I know. It’s just really annoying when everything’s not lined up, you know?”

Phil shook his head. “You and your symmetry. You know what, if it makes you feel better then knock yourself out.” His soft smile shifted into a smirk. “Just don’t let the popcorn get cold, yeah?”

(What little was left after their post-pillow-fight binge, anyway.)

Dan’s shoulders finally loosened, and so did the knot in Phil’s gut.

“You know what would make this absolutely perfect?” Dan asked, his symmetry quest now over. Phil joined him between the snacks and the TV, watching his eyes run over their handiwork.

“I thought my presence did that already, but go on,” Phil grinned.

Dan just rolled his eyes. “Music, you dork. I don’t know what exactly, but something nice and chill. Do you have any rainy day playlists?”

Phil’s heart jackhammered and flip-flopped all at once. A joyous tickle raced through his gut. “I think I’ve got something even better. Wait here.”

Alright, so it wasn’t done yet but surely that wouldn’t matter...right? Dan would still enjoy it regardless, Phil knew. Or guessed anyway. This playlist had consumed almost all his Dan-less moments, filled the void that broke open at the end of every Skype call and at the sliding of the train doors. Maybe Phil didn’t have the lyrical relationship with music that Dan and most others did, but he knew what songs conjured his strongest emotions, and he knew what Dan loved. What they both loved, in fact. If only he had something better than his laptop speakers to play it on.

The little toe bounce Dan did when Phil returned, chunky laptop in hand, only added to the wings flapping about in his stomach. Still, a smile pushed at his lips anyway.

“So, you’ve said _Final Fantasy 7_ is your favourite game, right? But you love the music from the entire franchise?” Phil shoved aside a bowl of pretzels to type in his password. He couldn’t see Dan’s face but he knew from the hitch of breath that he’d done something right.

“Y--yeah, of course?”

“Well, Dan. Get ready for…” God, did iTunes have to choose _now_ to put on its best snail act? “For, uh...wait a sec.”

Dan cackled. “Way to build suspense, Phil. Is this what I’m thinking it is?”

 _Finally_. “The _Ultimate_ Phil and Dan _Final Fantasy_ Playlist? Complete with every song that’s ever reminded me of you? Is that what you’re thinking of?”

If Phil could bottle Dan’s look of pure glee and sit it on his bookshelf, he would. Were his rainy curls glowing brighter or was that just his blinding face? “Phil. You did _not_.”

“Of course I did. What else am I supposed to listen to when you’re gone?”

“You’re disgusting,” Dan muttered. Phil felt a soft pressure on his back, hands on his shoulders and a kiss buried deep into his head. “But I love you.”

Phil never would tire of hearing those words in that deep, spine-tingling mumble--especially when they were followed by the opening strains of Holding My Thoughts in My Heart.

“You and that song.”

Phil just pulled Dan closer before pushing them both down beneath the blankets.

Dan shouldn’t be _allowed_ to look this incredible in the shadowy light. A new kind of glow shone through his fuzzy curls, his eyes were wider and lips plumper if that was even possible. Fuck that popcorn. Beneath the folds of the world, he and Dan had their own kingdom.

And in this kingdom, there were no rules.

So Phil took Dan into his arms, pressing his lips to the side of Dan’s head and adoring the way Dan slumped against him, staring up through thick eyelashes with huge doe eyes that drove Phil insane. Right here was Dan, _finally_ , here for Phil to hold and to love with everything he had. Every second of pining this week was suddenly worth it.

The music flowed seamlessly into another song full of soft string plucking, a song that made a long, drawn-out “ _Phiiiillllll_ ” trickle from Dan’s lips like no other piece of music ever could. The combination of the two sounds, each one just as beautiful as the other, squeezed Phil’s heart in a way that he thought had to be lethal but somehow, he didn’t mind one bit. Dan smelled like warm and tasted of caramel sweets and buttery popcorn, all Phil’s favourite things, right there for him to drown himself in.

The sweetest of mumbles pulled him from Danland back to the soft carpet and plush blankets. “Phil...did I ever tell you why this song always reminds me of you?”

“No. Why is that?” A nervous giggle tumbled from his lips before he could stop it.

“I—well, this is kinda stupid and so lame and nerdy of me, but—“

“ _Dan_. Nothing about you will ever be lame to me but please go on.”

“I, well…” Another fleeting glance from under those gorgeous eyelashes combined with an infuriating lip bite, and Phil was a goner. “When we were on the wheel a few weeks ago, that first day...this was what popped in my mind when we kissed. A little before then, actually. It was sort of the thing that gave me the courage to break down those walls because it reminded me a bit of the scene in the game. You know?”

A pause, then, “It’s still what I think of when I’m missing you most, actually.”

All words flew from his brain for the time being, so Phil did the only thing he could. He wrapped his arms even tighter around Dan, pulling his head to his tap-dancing chest and sighing deeply into still damp curls now growing wetter from Phil’s tears. How the _hell_ did he stumble across this absolute jackpot?

Of course he knew Dan thought of him when they couldn’t talk—but to know that he connected a song with those thoughts, a song that meant so much to Phil too?

It was just _too much_.

“I—Dan, I don’t even know what to say other than that means so _much_ to me. I don’t think you can even imagine. I just...I know what that game means to you, and you know what it means to me too, so…to know that I now remind you of one of the brightest lights of your childhood...God, this sounds so sappy but I really am so grateful. We’re real lucky we found each other, huh?”

“I mean technically, I was just waiting around for you to find me. But I’m sure as hell glad you did.” The tiny smile twisting up Dan’s lips, growing bigger and bigger the longer he and Phil held eye contact, sent his heart swooping and sailing to another galaxy.

“Neither can I.” And as the music swelled to a crescendo full of heartbreaking strings and rain tapped out a calming pattern on the window, Phil was sure nothing could beat this feeling of pure bliss. And that, he knew, was absolutely beautiful.

Just not quite as beautiful as Dan, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: [@phloridas](http://phloridas.tumblr.com)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope this satisfied your daily dose of 2009 phan--and happy (almost) pinof to one and all!


End file.
